Martha Jefferson, Region Ten partner on clinic

Region Ten and Sentara Martha Jefferson Hospital are pleased to announce the opening of the Sentara Peterson Health Center. Located in downtown Charlottesville, the center will bring primary care services to consumers already benefiting from Region Ten’s behavioral health services, as well as provide primary care services to anyone in the area who needs it.

“The idea for this center has been germinating for a few years,” said Robert Johnson, executive director for Region Ten. “Just over a year ago I started talking with the team at Martha Jefferson about our desire to have a clinic that adds behavioral health and primary care, and it grew from there.”

“This partnership allows both organizations to do what we do best,” noted Ron Cottrell, vice president of business development for the Blue Ridge region of Sentara. “Martha Jefferson knows how to get people the appropriate medical care in the appropriate setting and Region Ten knows behavioral health care. Together, we have created something that is much better than if either of us tried to do it alone.”

The center will be open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and be staffed with a physician as well as two nurse practitioners. The Sentara Peterson Health Center provides preventative care, including vaccines and physicals, treatment of acute illnesses, diabetes and high blood pressure management, women’s health services and geriatric medicine.

Primary care services are critical in treating people with mental health issues for a number of reasons. Many patients have modifiable risk factors, such as smoking, obesity and inactivity, as well as social isolation, unemployment and poverty and a lack of access to care. The Sentara Peterson Health Center aims to help alleviate many of these factors by removing barriers to primary health care.

“Patients can come for appointments with their case managers at Region Ten and have their healthcare visit on the same day,” noted Johnson. “Case managers may even go to appointments with patients to ensure they understand what they need to do for their physical health as well as their mental health.”

“This Center provides a new model that has not existed in our community before and I believe Charlottesville will quickly realize the great benefit of this partnership,” said Cottrell.